STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- They came from as far away as Nevada and Texas, as close as Manhattan and Brooklyn, but the most important thing was that they came to Staten Island.

Volunteers, young and old, with kinds words, helping hands, and positive attitudes, making it clear that this--at our time of greatest-ever need--is no longer New York City's forgotten borough. The out-of-town volunteers joined the ranks of countless thousands of borough residents, including children and teenagers, who continue to step up and step out to help Hurricane Sandy's victims in the most up close and personal ways.

From the Miller Field Distribution Center, a hoard of over 5,000 volunteers swarmed out across the Island bringing supplies, donations and other items to areas where they are so desperately needed, said Peter Spencer, the mayor's storm liaison to Staten Island.

Spencer said about 1,000 homes have received outreach Saturday due to volunteers' efforts, which included participation from local churches, the National Guard and many others.

The staging area at Miller Field provided a site not only to send out volunteers and provide assistance but several organizations had set up mini sites to provide assistance including FEMA, the Health and Hospitals Corporation, insurance companies, and others said Lisa Bova-Haitt, coordinator of the Miller Field Site.

Spencer said volunteers are handing out everything from medical and cleaning supplies to food and other items.

Some of the volunteers have come from Virginia, South Carolina, and Putnam Valley, among other places.

They include Connie Morton, a graduate student in emergency management who is on sabbatical, arrived on Wednesday from her home in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of group of 22 others, most of them from Maryland and Virginia, all affiliated with We Care, a national nonprofit organization.

"I'm humbled--these people lost everything," she said on Saturday morning at the Miller Field distribution site before leaving for a day's work of cleanup. "These are ordinary, hard-working people, people who never asked for a handout." Asked how long she planned to stay on the Island, Ms. Morton replied: "I bought a one-way ticket, and will stay for as long as there is meaningful work."

Here's a look at some of the activity and efforts on Saturday:

Rosemary Vasquenz, born and raised in Midland Beach, was standing outside four devastated small homes that she owns on Olympia Boulevard on Saturday, watching one tenant cart out box after box of waterlogged, destroyed personal effects and toss them on the huge and still growing pile of debris at curbside.

"Look! People are still coming!" she said, pointing to men arriving at her property to work with other volunteers to rip out everything from the saturated structures, right down to the bones. Through Oasis Christian Center on nearby Greeley Avenue, the volunteers traveled from "Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Alabama," she said.

One of them, Dave White, 37, a professional builder and member of York Grace Brethren Church, left his wife and three children--ages 7, 12, and 15--in York, Pa., to volunteer from Friday morning through Sunday, returning home for work on Monday. "This is a major disaster," he said, noting that this was his first-ever visit to the borough.

"These are the most honest, trustworthy people I've ever seen in my life," said a grateful Ms. Vasquenz, holding back tears. "God bless them, and God bless Pastor Tim (McIntyre) at Oasis."

'WAGNER CARES' BRINGS OUT STUDENTS

A trio of out-of-town Wagner College seniors, along with Dr. Mohammad Alauddin of Bulls Head from the chemistry faculty, walked down Greeley Avenue near Father Capodanno Boulevard in Midland Beach on Saturday morning, pushing carts filled with relief supplies. They were going door-to-door and "assessing what people need," said Eden Stark, 22, a microbiology major from Ohio. She was joined by Mary Schaffer, 21, from Pennsylvania, and Cassandra Tay, also 21, from New Jersey, both arts administration majors.

The students, who were volunteering for the Salvation Army, explained that the college had sign-up sheets, and that the student government created a website in response to Hurricane Sandy: wagnercares.org.

Its purpose "is to act as a central hub for students to locate ways of volunteering and assisting their neighbors," and "will remain a constant resource for Wagner College students in the future, acting as a partnership with our community for volunteer and community based efforts."

SALVATION ON MIDLAND AVENUE

The Salvation Army's distribution center at 609 Midland Avenue was a hub of activity on Saturday, filled with volunteers -- among them Jenna Bush-Hager and Barbara Bush, the former president's twin daughters -- who helped unload boxes of supplies from arriving trucks and packed up large red shopping carts with blankets and other necessities to distribute on foot to needy families in their wrecked homes.

Diapers, canned soup, water, hand sanitizer, hygiene kits, boxes of apples, and bags of cat and dog food were among the plentiful items free for the taking. A Salvation Army truck was parked curbside, serving coffee, hot chocolate, low-sodium chicken-vegetable soup, and potato chips at no charge.

"We're serving an average of 200 to 300 people a day," said Dobbs Ferry resident Maj. Susan Kelly, who serves as the incident-center commander, along with her husband, Maj. Scott Kelly."

Every day we get calls from people wanting to volunteer, and today we have a group of 20 from Manhattan, students from Wagner College, and friends of Jenna and Barbara Bush."

In highest demand are the large plastic buckets that serve as "cleaning kits," filled with brooms, bleach, work gloves, and other items.

Most needed supplies include face masks, socks, work gloves, cleaning supplies, and feminine and baby hygiene products, Major Kelly added.

"There's been such a great outpouring of support," said Erin Esparza, a Brooklyn Heights resident who serves on the advisory board of the Greater New York Salvation Army. "Jenna organized friends and colleagues," she added, noting that Mrs. Bush-Hager and her sister, Barbara, are New Yorkers, and their mother, Laura, is on the national advisory board of the Salvation Army.

Jeff Prensky, 33, from the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn who works in the insurance industry, was one of the volunteers on the bucket line, unloading large cardboard boxes filled with water and sports drinks, and then breaking open boxes filled with Rubbermaid ice chests. Asked what motivated him to show up, he replied: "Why not? It's the right thing to do, and I wanted to help out." ---Follow @siadvance on Twitter